Over fifty-six years of Eurovision, the on-stage hosts and hostesses have been our connection with the real contest. Your TV magazine might big up your local commentator as “presented by”, but sorry, a comfy place in a commentary booth isn’t presenting. Over half a century we have journeyed from the formal to the screechy, from the local TV safe pair of hands (almost always female) to the local celebs who see twenty-first century Eurovision as a great opportunity to pimp their CV.
Apologies for the pixellation on some of these. Working on it!
1956 – 1969
Lohengrin Filipello (1956)
Anaid Iplicjian (1957)
Hannie Lips (1958)
Jacqueline Joubert (1959)
Katie Boyle (1960)
Jacqueline Joubert (1961)
Mireille Delannoy (1962)
Katie Boyle (1963)
Lotte Waever (1964)
Renata Mauro (1965)
Josiane Chen (1966)
Erika Vaal (1967)
Katie Boyle (1968)
Laurita Valenzuela (1969)
1970 – 1979
Willy Dobbe (1970)
Bernadette Ní Ghallchóir (1971)
Moira Shearer (1972)
Helga Guitton (1973)
Katie Boyle (1974)
Karin Falck (1975)
Corry Brokken (1976)
Angela Rippon (1977)
1980 – 1989
Marlous Fluitsma (1980)
Doireann Ní Bhriain (1981)
Jan Leeming (1982)
Marlene Charell (1983)
Desiree Nosbusch (1984)
Lill Lindfors (1985)
Ase Kleveland (1986)
Viktor Lazlo (1987)
Michelle Rocca
Pat Kenny (1988)
Loleta Morena
Jacques Deschenaux (1989)
1990 – 1999
Helga Vlahovic
Oliver Mlakar (1990)
Gigliola Cinquetti
Toto Cotugno (1991)
Lydia Cappolicchio
Harold Treutiger (1992)
Fionnuala Sweeney (1993)
Cynthia Ni Mhurchu
Gerry Ryan (1994)
Mary Kennedy (1995)
Ingvild Bryn
Morten Harket (1996)
Carrie Crowley
Ronan Keating (1997)
Ulrika Jonsson
Terry Wogan (1998)
Dafna Dekel
Sigal Shahamon
Yigal Ravid (1999)
2000 – 2009
Katis Ahlstrom
& Anders Lundin (2000)
Natasha Crone
& Soren Pilmark (2001)
Anneli Peebo
& Marko Matvere (2002)
Marija Naumova
& Reynars Kaupers (2003)
Meltem Cumbul
& Korhan Abay (2004)
Maria Efrosisina
& Pavlo Shylko (2005)
Maria Menounos
& Sakis Rouvas (2006)
Jaana Pelkonen
& Mikko Leppilampi (2007)
Jovana Jankovic
& Zeljko Joksimovic (2008)
Alsou
& Ivan Urgant (2009)
2010 – 2019
Nadia Hasnaoui
& Haddy N'Jie
& Erik Solbakken (2010)
Judith Rakers
& Stefan Raab
& Anke Engelke (2011)
Leyla Aliyeva
& Eldar Gasimov
& Narguiz Birk-Petersen (2012)
Petra Mede (2013)
Nikolaj Koppel,
Lise Ronne,
Pilou Asbaek (2014)
Mirjam Weichselbraun,
Alice Tumler,
Arabella Kiesbauer (2015)
Mans Zerlmerlow,
Petra Mede (2016)
Oleksandr Skichko,
Volodymyr Ostapchuk,
Timur Miroshnychenko (2017)
Filomena Cautela
Sílvia Alberto
Daniela Ruah
Catarina Furtado (2018)